Creative Writing Workshop

Lesson 1: What is Creativity?

The Process Works!

If you look carefully at Unger’s story, you find the recipe for creative thinking.

• He had a problem. His wife’s birthday. He wanted to plan a surprise celebration for her, but his plan was expensive and his neighbors might think he was acting foolishly.

• A new idea began to form. He decided on an innovative action. He finally understood that he could be creative.

• He thought of a way to solve his problem. He substituted black-eyed susans for nursery flowers and old jars for vases. He decided to paint a happy birthday sign rather than buy an expensive one.

• A time for action. His sons helped him pick the flowers, fill the jars, and paint the sign.

• It was a success. The idea worked and it was low cost. He stopped worrying about the neighbors and enjoyed the birthday celebration.

The creative process Unger used is the same one you can use to handle writing problems and everyday hassles. The steps to a creative solution sometimes seem to run together, but if you think about it, the creative stages are there. Thinking creatively is an everyday experience—a lifestyle. Make creativity a top priority and it will carry over to your writing.

  1  2  3  4  5  6